Upcoming Webinars

Webinars: NASA Family Science Webinars, Part 1 & Part 2

Monday, March 25, 2019 and Monday, April 22, 2019

Research shows that children benefit greatly from the involvement of their parents and families throughout their educational careers. However, many adults are not knowledgeable or comfortable with STEM content, which presents a barrier to family engagement in these topics. This series of two webinars from the Astrophysics Education Team from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center presents whole-family STEM learning programs that engage family members equally as learners and teachers. The NASA Family Science Night model, developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, was designed to build confidence and foster curiosity in STEM fields for middle-school students and their families using research-based best practices. The webinars will cover both research and practice, by giving an overview of the program, emphasizing the research behind the benefits of family learning, and providing implementation strategies. Each webinar will be interactive, with discussions and opportunities for reflection.

NASA Family Science Webinar – Part 1 – Monday, March 25, 2019

Our first webinar from 10:00 am – 11:30 am, on Monday, March 25, 2019, will provide an overview of the research on family/parental impacts on learning that have spurred our decision to design family-oriented programming, and the lessons that we learned during implementation and pilot-testing. We will discuss the challenges that arise when working with mixed audiences of adults and children, and research-driven strategies for engaging all audience members equally as learners to create an environment of family discovery and knowledge-building.

NASA Family Science Webinar – Part 2 – Monday, April 22, 2019

In our second webinar from 10:00 am – 11:30 am, on Monday, April 22, 2019, participants will delve into the NASA Family Science Night curriculum, a freely-available suite of resources for engaging the whole family in STEM activities. We will also discuss the philosophy and pedagogy behind the NASA Family Science Night model, and the outcomes of intensive evaluation throughout development and dissemination.

After the conclusion of the series, participants who have attended the NASA Institute at the 2019 ELO conference, and both webinars, will have the opportunity to complete a capstone activity to receive certification as a NASA Family Science Night Ambassador. This capstone project involves the flexible implementation of a family science event in the participant’s network followed by documentation of the event (such as an event summary, images, and evaluation forms).

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